


clenches fist

by tattooedskins



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Charles Jisung Park, Danny Lee - Freeform, It's literally all Nonsense, Jaeno, Johnny Taeyong and Yuta are Teacher Assistants, M/M, Mild Language, NoJaem, That's the new ship name, Theatre Kid Donghyuck, There's not a lot of swearing, This has such a slow build.., i don't make the rules, i love it, i think, markhyuck, mentions of food, mentions of reproductive systems
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-10-31 20:55:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10907286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tattooedskins/pseuds/tattooedskins
Summary: Lee Donghyuck, commonly known as Danny Lee, is that 11th grade Theatre Kid everyone knows. His famous saying is: "Please help the drama production, we need money."Mark Lee is a senior who really only knows how to play badminton.





	1. *inhales* oh my god

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a fic. 
> 
> I just wrote this for fun because I felt like writing an AU. 
> 
> i apologize in advance, English isn't my first language.
> 
> It's inspired by things I've heard in my high school.
> 
> It's based in Canada and their school system, so there's mentions of French here.
> 
> And everyone's the same age as they are as of May 2017. But Jeno and Renjun are 16.
> 
> (The time in this fic is the end of January 2017.)
> 
> I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it at 5am in the morning (RIP)
> 
> \- There's mentions of food and reproductive systems.
> 
> There's no sexual content except for the mention of reproductive systems (for SCIENCE btw)
> 
> Johnny, Taeyong, and Yuta are Teacher Assistants. 
> 
> Grade 12: Mark  
> Grade 11: Renjun, Jeno, Donghyuck, Jaemin  
> Grade 10: Chenle  
> Grade 9: Jisung

It was already the second semester and it has been a month since Mark told himself that he’ll get his shit together. But seriously, does his final grade in a Grade 11 French class matter when he’s a 12th grader? He doesn’t really care.

“How has your day been so far?” Madame Lepage, his teacher, asks in French, standing at the front of the class with a marker held in her hand.

Lee Donghyuck, also known as “Danny Lee”, who sits at the line of chairs beside Mark’s and two rows in front him replies, “It’s been a trad-jeudi.” bringing most of the students’ attention on himself.

Mark can’t help but laugh, which doesn’t happen often when Donghyuck cracks a joke or asks his daily dumb questions, but Mark lets this one pass because it was indeed a Tragic Thursday and the joke was actually a good (lame) one.

He wasn’t actually supposed to be in this French class because he didn’t plan to take the course again. He dropped it after grade 10 because learning another language hurt his head and he didn’t plan on getting a bilingual certificate, but he didn’t really have another choice because all the other grade 11 classes were full, and he also needed the credit.

He doesn’t mind it though, even though the eleventh graders in his class were weird. The daily jokes and stupid questions from a specific younger boy sort of became a highlight of Mark’s lackluster senior days.

There’s also the merged Grade 11 and 12 art class that Mark shares with Danny Lee. He refuses to admit to himself that it’s the younger boy that makes art enjoyable whenever he hears- eavesdrops on- pieces of Donghyuck and his bestfriend’s (Jaemin Na) conversations. Mark instead tries to make himself believe that it’s Mr. Valdez, the cool and edgy art teacher, that makes class enjoyable.

Mark isn’t harbouring a crush, really, it’s just nice to see that someone is that extroverted (and funny). It isn’t like Mark doesn’t know other extroverts. Johnny Seo, his English class’ Teacher Assistant is extroverted too, but Donghyuck is different.

It isn’t a crush. Mark doesn’t even follow Donghyuck on Instagram, but that was logical since Mark doesn’t even have Instagram.

He tries to make himself believe that it was just the stress from Senior year- he is graduating soon- that makes him think that he has a crush on a younger male.It’s really not.

 

-

 

Mark was mixing his paint when he hears Mr. Valdez talking to Donghyuck and Jaemin, at the table across from his.

“I watched your performance yesterday for Music Night. You sounded amazing!” Mr. Valdez tells Donghyuck as he sits down on a chair at the eleventh graders’ table.

Mark didn’t get to Music Night, but Jisung and Jeno did because Jisung’s friend, Chenle, performed with the school’s band.

It makes Mark wonder why a boy who’s a piano protégé decided to go to this boring school instead of the art school a few miles away from this hellhole.

Jisung and Jeno asked him to come with them, but Mark had an English paper due so he refused. He regrets not going.

Jaemin looks up from his drawing to look at Mr. Valdez. “Didn’t you realize his bad breathing technique?” he whispers to the older teacher, who chuckles at the question.

Donghyuck puts down his paint brush and throws a nearby eraser at Jaemin. “Thank you. It’s nice to know that my hard work is being appreciated,” he tells Mr. Valdez and turns his head to look at Jaemin with a bitter smile.

“Danny, we all know Jaemin’s lying anyways,” the teacher assures him, picking up a piece of scratch of paper left on the table.

“Of course. He actually cried watching me last night. My mom got it on tape,” Donghyuck says nonchalantly, then he laughs and elbows Jaemin’s side.

Jaemin chokes on his spit and curses under his breath because he accidentally shaded out of the lines from the shock. He picks up the eraser Donghyuck threw at him to erase his mistake and replies, “You’ll never let me live that down, will you? I was crying because it was bad.”

“No. It was hilarious..” Donghyuck ignores Jaemin’s insult and dips his paint brush in his water can. “Valdez, you should go to coffee house! I’m performing again. It’s in 2 weeks,” he tells the man who has his body turned from his seat to tell a student at the back that blue and red, in fact, don’t make orange.

Donghyuck stares at his painting before dipping his paint brush in red paint, “Then watch the musical that prod. worked on for 4 months.”

“Please,” he raises the brush off the canvas and looks up to give the man a pleading look. “Help us. We just want to act and we need money. That’s why you should also go to the bake sale at Coffee House,” Donghyuck flashes the teacher a smile.

“This is Danny Lee showing his persuasive demonic side,” Jaemin mutters while checking the measurements of his grids.

Mr. Valdez laughs before standing up to check other student’s progress, “I’ll try what I can, I understand the artistic struggles.”

Mark makes a mental note to go to Coffee House and the musical, and to bring money for the bake sale. Not because he wants to support the production team. He just wants to get baked good for each of his friends. At least that’s what he wants to believe.

“Chan, aren’t you in the musical?” Mark asks Chan, his middle school friend who always sits with him during art. They have different friend groups, but they still hang out a lot.

“Yeah. I’m one of the dancers,” the boy replies. “You should watch it. Not to be arrogant or anything, but it’s really good.”

Donghyuck hears their conversation and decides to join in. “That’s not being arrogant, Chan. It’s stating Facts,” he adamantly says.

 Chan rolls his eyes and looks down on his paper, “Sure, man.”

 Donghyuck sticks his tongue out at Chan then looks at Mark with confident eyes, “You should watch it though. I promise you won’t regret it.”

 Mark tries to not show that he’s shocked that Donghyuk even spoke a word to him. “I might,” he smiles at the younger boy.

 “Good! Shameless promotion, but also go to Coffee House. There’s a lot of performers and there’s going to be a bake sale. Please.. We’re desperate. We need the money.”  

 Mark chuckles at Donghyuck’s dramaticness. He can’t say no, so he says that he’ll be there.

 Danny smiles brighter, “I’ll see you there then.” He then turns his attention back to his bestfriend, who started on drawing his portrait, to tease him about the video of him crying. Jaemin lets out an annoyed sigh.

 That was his and Donghyuck’s first conversation, and he tries to ignore the weird feeling in his stomach, even though he knows what they’re implying.

 

-

 

Renjun and Jeno were talking about their soccer schedule at the cafeteria table during lunch when Jisung pulls out a piece of paper with a diagram of a male’s reproductive system printed on it.

Renjun makes a choking noise and smacks his chest with his hand that wasn’t holding his sandwich, and Jeno starts laughing at him. The noise makes Mark raise his head from his biology textbook to see what happened.

 His eyes lands on the paper of the 9th grader. “Charles Jisung Park.. what is this?” he asks with wide eyes.

 “You’re acting like Jisung has never seen a penis before..” Renjun says, taking a sip from his water bottle.

 Mark scrunches his forehead, “No! I meant why do you have this?”

 Jisung gives him a look, “Hyung, I don’t carry a diagram of a male’s reproductive system in my bag for the fun of it.” Jeno who stopped laughing starts laughing again.

 “What is happening at this table on this fine afternoon?” someone says from behind Mark. It was just Johnny, the English  T.A.. He raises his eyebrows at them after hearing what Jisung said.

 “Charles is learning about penises and vaginas for health class,” Renjun tells the older, and Jeno adds on an ‘Obviously’. “And Mark hyung’s so terrified about this concept.”

 Jeno looks at Mark with a judgemental expression, “He’s almost 18, why is he like this?”

 Johnny laughs, puts down his bag on the table, and sits down beside Jisung. “If you need help with the labels, I can help,” he tells the younger one.

 “Honestly I don’t even want to know why or how you remember the names of the parts of the penis,” Mark says and puts down his fork.

 “There is a child here,” Jisung states loudly, loud enough for the people at the tables near them to hear.

 Renjun takes his phone off the table to check it with one hand, his other hand holding on his half-eaten turkey sandwich.

 “No phones on the table, Renjun,” Taeyong appears. He sets his bag down the floor and sits beside Renjun, who groans from being ordered to put his phone away.

 Taeyong’s a biology T.A. for Mr. Reyes, and Renjun and Jeno are in his class.

 It just became a habit for Taeyong and Johnny- and occasionally Yuta- to sit at the group’s table. Mark doesn’t really know why the T.A.’s sit with the students at lunch, it just happens sometimes.

 Johnny and Mark’s family are really close, so it isn’t weird that Johnny and Mark talk outside of class. Renjun and Jeno have been friends with Mark since middle school, so they sometimes saw Johnny at Mark’s house when they came over.

 Johnny, Taeyong (aka Tae, but the student body just decided to call him T.Y.) and Yuta also went to the same university and were actually friends, so it wasn’t awkward that they sat with Johnny, who sat with Mark’s group of friends.

 Mark and his friends only met Taeyong and Yuta around the beginning of January, but the two somehow already ‘adopted’ the group and decided to baby them as much as they can.

 “Okay, mom.” Renjun says to Taeyong and puts his phone face down on the table.

 “I still don’t get why I’m not allowed to use my phone at lunch. It’s high school, it’s really not that deep,” Jeno mutters, sputtering a piece of his rice on the table due to his mouth being full.

 They hear someone dramatically gasp a few feet away from them, which causes them to look at that direction. It was Yuta, “Are you talking back, Jeno?”

 “Gross. Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Mark says, sandwich in his mouth, as Jeno wipes the rice off the table.

 Taeyong gives both of them a look. Yuta tells Taeyong to scooch over and sits down beside him to steal one of his strawberries.

 “I just don’t get it,” Jeno says.

 Mark averts his attention from Jeno to look at the others beside him. Johnny’s on his phone and Jisung’s doing his homework.

 “It’s something about bonding or whatever,” Renjun tells Jeno who was pouting while looking at his lunch.

 “Bonding, right..” Mark starts off sarcastically. “Johnny hyung is literally on his phone, how is this allowed?” he points out and stabs his poutine with his fork. “This is a proof of senior-junior prejudice..”

 “It’s nice to talk with the group sometimes instead of just being immersed on technology.” Taeyong tells them and steals one of Johnny’s fries.

 Renjun scoffs and stares at his phone on the table, aching to pick it up.

 “Anyways, what’s the lunch special today?” Yuta asks them, pulling out his wallet from his bag on his lap.

 Jisung looks up from his homework to answer the question, “Chicken soup and tacos.”

 “Gross. I’m gonna get a huge cookie and a poutine,” Yuta scrunches his nose and picks up a 10 dollar bill.

 “The things that disgust you aren’t even disgusting. You’re disgusting,” Johnny tells him while wrapping a piece cheddar cheese around his banana.

 Jisung looks at Johnny and his banana cheese for a second before looking at everyone with a grimace, “This table is a bad influence on me.”

 “Excuse me?” Taeyong cries out.

 

-

 

Yuta’s the T.A. for Madame Lepage’s French class, but he only appears at least once a week… and it’s always a class full of laughter or debates when he shows up.

 Mark doesn’t really know why Yuta was a T.A. for a French class because he knows that Yuta was taking something like Science and Tech in university, but Mark isn’t really surprised considering the fact that Yuta’s really good at speaking French.

 The class was having a normal conversation about foods they like when Donghyuck says, “Je daisuki le pain.”

 Mark laughs because, honestly, that was the dumbest thing he has ever heard. His knowledge about Japanese isn’t really as big as his knowledge about English and Korean, but he has heard enough to know what ‘daisuki’ means.

 “Yamete kudastop,” Yuta tells Donghyuck, with a jokingly sour expression on his face.

 The two have always gotten along well since Yuta showed up in their class. They always talk in “memes” though and Mark doesn’t really understand most of it.

  _“What’s a mey-mey?” Mark asked Jeno once, and Johnny choked on his water._

  _“It’s pronounced as ‘meem’, you uncultured swine,” Jeno replied._

 Donghyuck laughs at Yuta’s comment and says, “Sorrymasen.”

 Mark can’t help but cringe. Madame Lepage walks toward the front of the class while adjusting her glasses with a confused expression on her face. She looks at the two and asks, “Are these new memes?”

 “Just memes from the anime fandom.. It’s actually cringey,” Yuta realizes. He really hates weebs for this. They’re potentially terms that weeaboos would use and justify by saying they’re just memes.

 “Danny, let’s never do that again,” Yuta points at the younger.

  _“I don’t want Danny to be a weeaboo,” Yuta thinks, even though he knows the boy isn’t._

 Donghyuck nods at him with a smile.

 One of the boys who sat at the front suddenly turns around to look at the class and loudly proclaims, “I don’t know why everyone likes anime. Why does everyone like anime?”

 Mark is kind of worried because the boy, who he doesn’t know the name of, looks very stressed.

 “I mean, I don’t get it. It’s so boring,”

 Yuta stares at the boy, probably imagining about ways he can get away with murder. But Yuta chooses to not say anything because fighting an 11th grader about anime isn’t the best idea if he wants to keep his reputation (and job)-- albeit it isn’t really that clean of a rep.

 “What do you mean it’s boring? You haven’t lived, dude.” The girl beside Mark yells at the guy who’s arguing with his seatmate about Dragon Ball.

  _“They literally just collect balls, Clarke.”_

 The class debate gets cut off by Madame Lepage after a minute or so. If she didn’t it could’ve ended up with a fist fight.

 

-

 

“Today is a day of debates,” Mark thinks after he watches Mr. Valdez walk over to Donghyuck and Jaemin’s table to check on their artworks.

 “Is this the class that talked about baby Hitler? or am I getting older and forgetful,” the teacher asks the two and takes a seat on a chair.

 “What?” Donghyuck laughs. The sunlight coming from his window hitting his hair perfectly making it shine, “Baby Hitler? Do tell me more.”

 Mark stares.

 Mr. Valdez wipes off the eraser bits from the table, “A class had a talk about baby Hitler a few days ago. Someone just said ‘If you met baby Hitler, would you kill him?’”

 Jaemin starts uncontrollably laughing, making the desk shake due to him leaning forward from laughter. The noise making heads turn to look at them, “Omygod.”

 The two best friends thinks about it for a few seconds then Donghyuck scrunches his forehead and sternly says, “I’d kill the child.”

“Right! I’d kill the child too. I’d rather kill him than let him murder millions of people,”

 Jaemin finally calms down, but he starts laughing again, “I’m crying.”

 Mark realizes he’s been staring at Donghyuck. Shaking his head he picked up his paint brush and fills in his circle with paint.

 He decides to join the conversation. “BUT why kill him if you can adopt him and just raise him in a better way?”

 Jaemin wipes a tear from his eye, and wipes his finger on his shirt. He nods at Mark and says, “Mark’s a smart one.”

 “I didn’t even think of that,” Donghyuck mutters, grabbing his coloured pencil to continue colouring his drawing.

 “Yeah cause you’re dumb,” Jaemin points out raising his pen at Donghyuck.

 “Listen here,” Donghyuck puts the coloured pencil down on the table jokingly making a loud noise.

“I’m listening,” Jaemin stares back at Donghyuck with a serious face, but the sunlight coming from the window makes him squint his eyes. He starts laughing again.

 “I’ll probably adopt baby Hitler and then let him grow up and then abandon him,” Mr. Valdez says before leaving their table to get a canvas for a student.

 Donghyuck watches Mr. Valdez leave, and goes back to colouring his artwork as a chuckle fell out of his mouth, “That was weird.”

 Mark finds it endearing that Donghyuck’s nose scrunches when he smiles. Danny Lee is really cute, Mark has to admit it.

 

-

 

The next day Mark’s English class is blessed enough to be allowed to visit the auditorium and watch the choir’s rehearsal for their Winter performance.

Ms. Pia, his teacher, isn’t there for the day. Something about her child being sick, so they have a substitute and Johnny.

The class doesn’t really have any material to do, so they just went to the auditorium to watch the vocal students. Donghyuck is one of those vocal students, so Mark’s looking forward to it.

There were about 50 people standing on the risers, all arranged in their respective groups. The chattering in the auditorium was loud, and he can hear the yells from the members of the Light and Sounds crew who were also there to test the lights and check the sound system.

Mr. Rei, the vocals teacher, was talking to the pianist about something, so the vocal students were all just lazing around and chatting with each other.

Mark’s class walks to the seats at the middle of the auditorium. Mark pulls down the seat of the velvet chair and Johnny takes the seat beside him.

“You’re happy that we’re just staying here, huh?” Johnny asks, fixing his fringe away from his eyes.

“Maybe I’d rather read a boring poem than watch them,” Mark scans the group of singers. He sees Yeri in the soprano section. He forgot that she sings.

She's talking to Joy while Joy's looking at the middle of the auditorium. Joy made eye contact with Mark and she points at his direction making Yeri turn her head to look at where Joy's pointing.

She sees Mark and yells, “Hey, Mark Lee!” 

“Ooh, someone’s famous,” Johnny teasingly says, smiling at Mark.

Mark tries to not cover his face with his hands. “Shut up,” he replies, face heating up from the attention, then waves at Yeri. “She always yells.. So embarrassing..”

“Does she still have a crush on you?” “Oh god. No,” Mark hastily replies. “I hope not. I don’t see her in that way.”

 “Oh,” Johnny laughs like a light bulb lit up above his head. “I forgot that you’re into boys.”

 Mark chokes and starts coughing, Johnny starts patting his back while laughing. Mark wishes his face wasn’t red as he thought it was.

 “Johnny hyung, please.”

 Johnny just shrugs, “What? It wasn’t me who came asking in 10th grade about why everyone has a thing for the skin between a girl’s knee socks and her skirt when boys’ muscular arms are ‘obviously’ better.” He even makes finger quotations for ‘Obviously’.

Mark wants to pound his head against a wall, “I can’t deal with you right now.” He rubs his face with his hand. 

Thankfully Johnny doesn’t get to reply because the pianist started playing the piano. The soft music fills the auditorium and after 8 counts the choir starts singing. Mark has heard them sing before during school assemblies, and he’s still amazed by how pleasant they sound. Their voices really blend well together making it sound like one voice.

The song’s in German and it’s slow. It’s something that’s nice to listen to before going to sleep. It’s a soft lullaby, and Mark doesn’t expect it to get even better, but it does when Donghyuck’s solo part starts.

 The boy’s voice reminds him of the softly wind blowing on his cheek. It’s so soft and warm, it made him want to gulp it up like a cup of warm tea. Mark feels embarrassed even though he’s the only one who can hear his thoughts.

Donghyuck hit all the notes right on and what Jaemin said about his bad breathing technique was obviously a Big Lie. Mark doesn’t know anything about vocal techniques, but Donghyuck’s obviously an amazing singer and he seems confident about his skill.

Mark can’t help but be mesmerized throughout the whole song. Even when Donghyuck’s solo ended, Mark could still hear his heartbeat in his chest.

 He understands now why Jaemin cried during Music Night while watching Donghyuck perform. Mark wants to cry.

 “You alright?” Johnny notices Mark’s silence and expression. “Were you that affected?”

 “I’m-,” Mark clears his throat. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

 

-

 

Mark's alone at the cafeteria table and being alone is really about to make him make bad life decisions. He wishes someone else was there to distract him, but sadly there’s no one, so he presses ‘download’ on his phone and waits for the Instagram app to be installed.

Once the app is on his phone, he logs into his account that he doesn’t even use anymore. His once 324 followers went down to 198.

He goes to his followings and searches up Jaemin Na’s name.

Jaemin and Mark aren’t really strangers because they’re both on the badminton team, and they decided to follow each other on Instagram after being partnered up for doubles. They still talk from time to time.

Mark scrolls  down Jaemin’s feed and stops on a selca of Donghyuck and Jaemin together.

“Fuck,” he says under his breath.

“Interesting~” Renjun murmurs, looking over Mark’s shoulder, and puts his bag down on the floor.

“When did you get here?” Mark put his phone down and blinks up at him.

“You’re stalking Na Jaemin?” Jeno asks from beside Renjun. Jeno sets his textbook down, and sits beside Mark, fixing his winter coat on the bench. “No!! What the hell?” Mark defensively says.

Jeno raises his eyebrow at him and Renjun pulls out his salad from his lunch bag and starts eating it, one earphone plugged into his ear.

Mark looks back down on his phone and unlocks it. And ok, Donghyuck is really photogenic.. and pretty. Mark couldn’t believe that this was happening to him.

He continues to scroll down until he reaches the last picture in Jaemin’s feed. He presses _back_ to go back to one of Jaemin’s selcas with Donghyuck, so he could click on Donghyuck’s username and see the boy’s account. Unluckily for Mark, Donghyuck’s account is on private. Great.

The vocalist has 800 followers and Mark doesn’t know if he should be surprised or not. He never realized Donghyuck’s popularity, but the boy is a theatre kid and also a respected vocalist in the school. He’s bound to be popular.

Mark never really paid much attention until he was put in a French class with Donghyuck and also the merged art class. And that time at vocal rehearsal, of course.

_(@dan.ny.lee_

이동혁

_You either kill or get killed)_

 Mark’s tells himself You Only Live Once and presses the follow button. He’s fucked and he has to buy tickets for Coffee House.

 

-

 

“I hate my entire life,” Donghyuck aggressively syas as he walked- or stomps his feet- to Jaemin’s locker.

 “Same.” Jaemin takes his lunch box out of the hanger and shuts his locker. “But what’s wrong?”

 He locks the lock, and him and Donhyuck start walking towards the cafeteria.

 “Jean bailed so I don’t have a guitarist for my performance tonight.. What am I going to do? What the hell. I love her, but she’s honestly a snake. Leah finally asked her out. Literally to coffee house tonight.. where Jean was supposed to perform with.. guess who.. ME.” Donghyuck explains in one breath, stepping on the stairs too hard one step at a time.

 His ability to speak that much without breathing still amazes Jaemin. They’ve been bestfriends for 6 years, but Donghyuck’s lung capacity really is legendary and _takes his breath away._

 Jaemin mentally pats himself on back for making that pun. “Okay, yeah that sucks, but I’m happy for Jean.”

Donghyuck gives him a ‘What is wrong with you’ look. “I don’t have a guitarist.”

“Yeah, I know. You literally just ranted to me,” Jaemin holds onto the stairs’ railings.

“I don’t want to sing without a background track though,” Donghyuck complains.

“It’s not that deep. Go acapella.” They took a turn and into another set of stairs.

Their school has a plethora of stairs, and walking from Jaemin’s locker to the cafeteria meant walking from one side of the school all the way to the other. They had to walk up and down 5 flights of stairs too, maybe that was why Donghyuck’s lungs were amazing.

“You won’t sound bad,” Jaemin assures him just to boost his best friend’s confidence. He knows that Hyuck always hides his insecure side.

Donghyuck looks at him and pouts, “Nana, help me.”

“Call me Nana again and I won’t help you at all,” Jaemin scowls at him. “And I can’t play the guitar.”

“I know you can’t play the guitar. We’ve been friends since we were 10. Who do you think I am?” Donghyuck says holding onto the rails while they go down the stairs.

“Someone I shouldn’t have talked to,” Jaemin says under his breath. Donghyuck smacks his arm, and opens the door for a person behind them.

“I know someone who can play the guitar though,” Donghyuck pauses near the door and smiles so wide at him. “Ok, stop that it’s weird.”

“Your masculinity is so fragile,” Donghyuck snorts and rolls his eyes. “You have other friends than me?”

“I’m walking away. I don’t know you,” Jaemin says as he opens the cafeteria doors, not even holding them open for the older one.

Donghyuck places his hand on the door before it closes on him. He walks faster to catch up to Jaemin’s fast pace.

“Fuck you. I’ll get you a box of 10 timbits,” Donghyuck yells after him.

That catches Jaemin’s attention, that’s exactly what he wants. He stops and turns around to face Donghyuck, “Make it 20 and now we’re talking.” His eyes glimmering with joy.

“Alright,” Donghyuck says in Korean. “You’re so desperate.”

“You’re the one who was crying a while ago,” Jaemin points out, pretending to flip his non-existent long hair at his best friend before walking to their usual table.

 

-

 

Jeno was on his way to the cafeteria when he receives a message from Jaemin asking him where he was at the moment. He stops at the stairs to reply to the message. Jaemin sends an instant reply saying that he had to talk to him.

They aren’t really as close as Jeno is with Renjun or Mark or Jisung. But he considers Jaemin as a friend. The only reason they have each other’s numbers is because they partnered up alot during 10th grade math whenever they did group work. They sometimes did homeworks together too.

Jaemin sees Jeno entering the caf, before Jeno even sees him. Jaemin walks over, his and Donghyuck’s table were close to the cafeteria’s door. “Dude, I need your help.”

“With what?” Jeno asks. Jaemin grabs his wrist and moves them to the side near the wall to avoid the people going in and out of the doors.

"Danny’s guitarist friend bailed last minute and he has a performance at Coffee House tonight. He needs a replacement and you’re the only guitarist I know.”

“So, you want me to play for him?” Jeno wraps his hands around the straps of his backpack.

“Uh, yeah. If that’s alright with you, of course. Don’t feel pressured though. Worse comes to worse, he has to sing in acapella. Although that won’t even be bad,” Jaemin laughs, scratching his neck. “He’s so dramatic. I’m tired of him.”

Jeno stares at Jaemin amused, “Sure, I’ll do it.”

Jaemin snaps his head forward, “Seriously?!”

“Ye-”

“I’ll pay you back I swear!” Jaemin interrupts him.

“You don’t have to,” Jeno shakes his head and smiles shyly.

“I know I don’t have to, but I will,” Jaemin’s determined to receive a box of 20 timbits. They aren’t even expensive, he just doesn’t want to pay for them.

“Make it a date then,” Jeno jokes. It’s not really a joke when it comes to their relationship.

He doesn’t know why he even said that. It was just the perfect timing, he has always had a  crush on Jaemin anyways. And it’s too late now when Jaemin’s face is the same colour as Jeno’s pink bag.

Jaemin gapes at him again, but was cut out of his reverie, shaking his head, when he hears the beeping of the microwave.

How cute. 

 

-

 

“I miss Chicago,” Johnny randomly says. Their conversation was about roll up the rim cups, but Johnny just completely ignored the conversation.

“Where’s Jeno?” Mark asks the others. Jeno usually arrives at the table earlier than them.

Jisung looks around the cafeteria and spots Jeno talking to someone, “He’s talking to.. Jaemin Na? I think.”

Renjun turns his body to look at the direction Jisung’s looking at then looks at Mark, “Are you alright with that?”

Mark blinks, confused, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Don’t you have a crush on Jaemin? But really, we all knew Jeno had dibs on him, so don’t take it to heart. I guess..? Unless you’re really heartbroken. We’re here for you,” Renjun says softly, worry evident in his eyes.

Johnny nods, sipping on the straw of his iced americano, “Ren’s right. Today’s society’s motto is ‘First come first serve.’ but we’ll understand if you need your space.”

“Hold up, I don’t even like Jaemin,” Mark says with a high pitched voice. “I’m so confused.”

“Weren’t you stalking his instagram?” Jisung asks from beside him. He’s doing his math homework, as usual. Looking at it hurt Mark’s head.

“For a completely different reason though,” Mark turns his attention to Jeno and Jaemin again. Jaemin’s blushing and Jeno’s just smiling at him.

Mark has known Jeno for a long time and he may look like he’s calm and cool on the outside, but Mark knows when Jeno’s nervous and freaking out on the inside. Judging from the way the younger boy’s shifting his weight from one foot to the other and his hands clasped tightly behind his back, Jeno’s obviously nervous. “And he scored,” Mark mouths.

“Do you think he asked him out?” Renjun asks, turning around to look at the pair again. “I didn’t think he ever would. What came over him?”

Renjun averts his attention from the two and reaches across the table to take a small piece of Jisung’s cookie. 

“Maybe he thought Mark was going to steal Jaemin from him or something, so he made the first move,” Johnny theorizes.

“Someone like Jaemin won’t ever go for Mark,” Jisung replies, taking a bite from his cookie.

“You brat-” Mark starts but Jeno interrupts him by arriving at their table.

“Guess who scored a date?” he announces, smiling widely. His eyes doing the magical smize thing it always does when he’s genuinely happy.

“Not Johnny hyung,” Jisung mutters, pressing on the keys of his calculator.

Johnny makes a strangled sound, he was about to deny it, but Jisung was right. “Congrats though. I’m proud of you,” Johnny tells Jeno and pats him on the back from his seated position.

“Just to clarify, I never liked Jaemin-- If it ever came out that way. You know I follow the bro code,” Mark tells Jeno who was standing at the end of the table.

“It’s okay, I didn’t think so anyways,” Jeno smiles.

“Okay good.” Mark sighs in relief. “I’m proud of you.”

 “I didn’t think you had it in you,” Renjun looks at Jeno, pretending to wipe fake tears away. “Congratulations,” he says in Korean.

"Thank you,” Jeno grins.

“Now come sit down,” Johnny tells Jeno.

“I actually can’t stay. I have to go help Danny for his performance tonight. His guitarist bailed last minute.”

Johnny puts down his americano and says, “What an asshole.”

“Language sir!” Mark yells at the older one, smacking Johnny’s arm with his hand. 

“It’s okay Mark hyung. I’m turning 15 soon, not 10. I know what an asshole is,” Jisung assures Mark, his attention still on his homework.

"Mark acts like health class doesn’t exist,” Renjun pokes his salad.

Mark ignores Renjun. “But really? Danny Lee?” he asks Jeno for clarification, a hint of excitement in his voice.

No one comments on it.

“Hm, yeah. Jaemin asked me to help him, since they’re best friends and I said sure, then I asked him out on a date as a payment,” Jeno tells him.

“That’s like a punishment as a payment,” Renjun utters and chuckles at the joke he made.

“Shut up, Renjun,” Jeno rolls his eyes at him. “Let me live.” 

Someone yells Jeno’s name from the other side of the cafeteria. They all turn their heads to look at a boy who only has his head poking out the door. It’s Donghyuck.

 “Jesus Christ. That’s Mr. Talent. I gotta blast.” Jeno says before running to Donghyuck.

 Johnny yells a “You’re growing up” after him.

 There’s silence at their table and then Johnny turns towards Mark. “So, Mark.. Danny Lee, huh?” Johnny wiggles his eyebrows at him. “I saw the look you gave him. And how can I forget your face after you heard him sing a few days ago?”

 “Omygod. You’re so annoying,” Mark takes a bite from his pizza forcefully.

Renjun looks up from his phone confused at first before realizing what Johnny meant. “No way,” he whispers.

“Exactly there’s no ways.” Mark replies, trying to not let out an embarrassed laugh with his face heating up.

“You like him?!”

For some reason, at that exact moment Taeyong and Yuta arrive at their table.

“Who likes who?” Yuta asks, extreme curiosity evident on his face. This is the Face of a gossiper.

“Mark hyung likes Danny Lee,” Jisung informs him. “I didn’t even know that Mark hyung swings that way.”

“Ahhhh, Mark.. No wonder you always laughed at his jokes,” Yuta laughs, recalling the times Donghyuck said dumb things during French class.

“How cute of our Mark Lee,” Taeyong muses beside Yuta. He peels his orange and then looks at Renjun, “Renjun, get off your phone.”

“And yes, baby Charles,” Johnny says. “Mark does swing that way. He’s just in denial about it, so he doesn’t go around telling people he likes boys who sing and act and have good humour.”

Yuta starts laughing loudly, Taeyong looks like he was about to as well, but he tries to not let it out just so Mark won’t get embarrassed any further.

Renjun props his chin on the palm of his hand, elbow on the table beside his abandoned phone. “I don’t think Danny swings that way though,” he shares.

Yuta who stops laughing and judgmentally looks at the Chinese boy, “He’s in theatre and he sings.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s gay, Yuta!”  Taeyong hisses and takes a sip from his kelp shake.

Mark has had enough, “I don’t even like him!!!”

Chenle, Jisung’s friend appeared. He sometimes sit at their table whenever he has the time. Jisung once told them that Chenle spent lunch hours playing the piano in the music room. That’s how passionate the boy is. But Mark doesn’t believe it cause he saw Chenle in the video game club once.

“Mark, why are you so red?” Chenle asks once Johnny moved to the side to give the boy space to sit beside Jisung.

“Mark has a crush on Danny Lee,” Jisung shares to Chenle. Mark clenches his fist.

He fights the urge to call Jisung’s mom and tell her how much of a snitch her son is. The 9th grader knows that Chenle’s friends with Donghyuck. And Chenle knowing this (false) information is just embarrassing for Mark.

“Omygod,” the boy laughs. “I should tell Danny.”

“I’ll murder you with my own two hands Chenle Zhong,” Mark yells at the boy who laughs at Mark’s distressed state.

“I only found out that Mark hyung was gay today,” Jisung mutters.

“Keep the crush a secret though, Chenle,” Taeyong tells the boy. “Let Mark deal with his own love life. He’s old enough.”

“So, Mark has been outed twice today and Jeno asked out Jaemin Na. It’s been an eventful day,” Renjun laughs.

“Seriously?” Yuta yells and claps his hands together. “Nice one Jeno. Go get some.”

“All our juniors have better love lives than us. That’s so sad,” Taeyong says to Johnny who’s looking at his food with a sad expression.

Then Yuta looks at Jisung and asks, “Do you even know what gay means?”

“I wasn’t in the GSA club for no reason,” Jisung replies to Yuta’s question. “I’m 14, I know what gay is.”

“Gender Sexuality Alliance?” Taeyong whimpers around his straw.

“Yeah hyung, what’s wrong with that?” Jisung asks. He’s not doing homework for once since Chenle’s there.

“That’s like the worse club to go to when you’re gay,” Johnny says. “And everyone on this table is pretty gay.”

Yuta nods, "There's better gay clubs out there. My favourite one is downto-"

"Please, Yuta." Taeyong looks at the boy beside him with disbelief before pushing him to the side.

Yuta laughs at Taeyong's face. "I'm straight though," Jisung says.

Chenle gives him a look. "Okay then," Renjun looks between the two.

"But seriously, Jisung.. don’t go to GSA. That’s a place filled with straight people who say they support gays, but they’re really just undercover homophobes,” Mark informs the younger one. He shivers from the thought of the GSA club.

“Not all of them are bad. I know that they have informative events about LGBT a few times a year, and Ms. Jun runs the club. She’s lesbian and educated about a lot of LGBT+ issues and cultural issues,” Renjun says.

“Yeah, that’s true, but,” Taeyong starts. “They’re just-” he makes a face.

“For sure there are some Fujoshis and Asiaboos in there, and racists. I hate those people,” Yuta says with a disgusted expression.

“What’s a Fuj--” Chenle struggles to say.

“Fujoshi. They’re those female fans who fetishize- basically obsess over- gay relationships,” Yuta tells them.

“And Asiaboos are people who change their racial identity and appropriate cultures ‘cause they want to be Asian,” Johnny adds on. “And I’m sure you guys know about racism.”

“Yeah,” Chenle nods.

“They’re disgusting,” Taeyong mutters. “Basically, try avoiding those people in the GSA club. It’s a great club with a great purpose, but some are there just to pretend to be educated.”

Jisung and Chenle nods in understanding.

“See, this is why we don’t go on our phones, so we can have bonding moments,” Taeyong sweetly tells Renjun, and puts his arm around the younger boy's shoulders.

“I hate this family,” Renjun cries out the meme he likes to use a lot from a vine he watched. They all laughed.


	2. .. alright

After his last class, Mark waits at the main hall for Renjun and the others. He was staring at the Coffee Night poster hung up near the student services’ board when when a hand touches his shoulder.

  
“Hey,” it was just Renjun. The boy looks at the poster Mark was looking (staring) at.

"Coffee Night, huh,” he reads, eyes gleaming. “You wanna go with us? Jisung and Chenle want to check it out. They've never been to one before cause they’re Freshies.”

Mark can see the small smirk gracing Renjun's lips. He knows that the younger boy’s aware that Mark has never been to one either, and that he’d gladly go because Danny Lee’s performing there.

He ponders about it for a moment. Jeno will be happy if his best friends come to support him, even though he's really only going to be playing the guitar for Donghyuck.

Mark decides that it won’t be horrible to go. He’s already a senior and he’s never even been to one of those events. It’s quite sad to think about. So, he tells Renjun that he’ll come.

"Nice," Renjun smiles at him and checks his phone for the time. "I need to get food first though."

"Food?" Chenle appears, walking towards them with Jisung trailing behind him.

Jisung shakes his head at Chenle's excitement, "Where are we going then?"

"Probably Tim's or Mcdonalds?"

"Definitely Tim's. I have bills to pay,” Renjun tells them, putting on his red coat. “One has to save up.”

The eleventh grader starts walking towards the doors that lead outside.

"Get a job then," Mark says at his retreating figure.

 

-

 

"You guys do know that there's a bake sale, right?" Mark asks the younger ones while walking towards the front gates of their school.

They walked all the way to the Tim Hortons that was a 10 minute walk away from the school just to buy food. The line was longer than usual because most of the schools in the area ended their classes in the same hour, and students frequently visit the store.

Jisung was sipping on his iced maple cap and Chenle was eating one of the three donuts that he bought. Renjun on the other hand got ordered more than the others: a vanilla latte, an everything bagel with cream cheese, and a banana chocolate muffin.

"This is just the appetizer, Mark," Renjun says and wipes a remnant of the cream cheese from his fingers on his sweatpants.

"It's so cold," Jisung murmurs and puts his other hand inside his jeans' front pocket. He kicks a snow bank in annoyance.

"I wonder why," Chenle sarcastically says to Jisung, and looks at the ice cap that the younger one was holding. "It's literally negative 15 celsius right now and you're drinking an ICED cap."

Mark walks faster to the doors of the main hall due to the cold air that suddenly started blowing harder.

"I wanted an ice cap," Jisung retorts and takes a sip of his drink.

  
"Winter and an ice cap. We all die like men," Renjun yells from behind them while walking up the stairs. Jisung nods in agreement.

As they enter the building, they all shake their boots at the front door. "Gross," Renjun looks at the wet floor.

"Ok so, what time does Coffee House start?" Jisung asks.

"Like half an hour," Mark answers.

Renjun walks beside him and gives him a smile, "Of course you'd know."

Chenle, oblivious to the teasing Renjun was doting upon Mark, says, "I can't wait to hear slam poetry."

"Oh, I can't wait for some singing," Renjun teases further.

Mark walks to the cafeteria faster.

 

-

 

  
There were chairs set up in front of the small black stage that was placed at the front of the cafeteria. Mark and the others claimed the chairs in the middle of the arrangement. Mark was the only one sitting though. He was keeping an eye on the other boys' bags that were placed on top of the chairs they took.

Chenle was accompanied by Jisung and they were talking to some students from Chenle's class. Mark doesn't know where Renjun went.

He sighs and checks his phone. 0 notifications. Boring.

  
"Yo Mark," someone yells somewhere from his left.

Mark looks for the owner of the voice. There were already a lot of students walking around, so it wasn't really an easy task.

He sees someone waving from his peripheral vision. It was Chan standing behind the bake sale’s tables.

Mark stands from his seat and walks up to Chan, completely ignoring the bags that were now left unattended on the chairs.

"There's 10 minutes left before the performances start," Chan informs him. "Buy some baked goods. We have brownies, cookies, cake pops, rice crispies, you name it."

A girl with blue hair beside Chan adds on, "All money is give to the drama production!"

"Okay, okay," Mark says, reaching for his wallet behind his pocket. He had a purpose for not buying anything at Tim Hortons. He already made a mental note to buy a lot of pastries-- for his friends, not for the purpose of supporting and donating to the drama production.

"I'll get 4 cookies, 3 brownies, two rice crispies, 5 cake po-" he lists.

"That's a lot," he hears someone whisper beside him. It wasn't really intended for Mark to hear, it sounded more like something that was thought out loud.

Mark turns his head and his mind goes blank.

Daniel “Danny” Lee smiles at him.

Chan raises an eyebrow at Mark’s attention being taken away from ordering, and coughs to cut the senior out of his thoughts.

Mark averts his eyes from Donghyuck to being his attention back on Chan, "Uh- yeah. That's it. “

His friend looks at him with a funny look, "4 cookies, 2 brownies, a rice crispie??"

Mark repeats his order because Chan obviously doesn't remember it while the girl with blue hair asks for Donghyuck’s order.

"Good luck on your performance, Lee," the girl says while giving Donghyuck the paper bag filled with pastries.

"Thanks, dude," Danny replies.  
  
Mark waits until the boy turns his head to look at him. Donghyuck smiles at Mark beside him, "You actually came, huh?"

"Um-- yeah," Mark responss. He feels sweat forming on his forehead and he’s probably holding his own paper bag too tightly.

  
"Because of Jeno?" the vocalist asks taking out a cake pop from his order with five (or seven?) cake pops poking out the top. There’s a light smug look on Donghyuck’s face and Mark doesn’t know what to think about it.

The boy knows that Mark has never gone to Coffee House ever in his entire high school career. He knows this partly based on the fact that he had never seen Mark during the events held in the past, and he also heard from Jaemin who, of course, heard from Jeno.

He doesn’t mention it to Mark though.

“Yeah,” Mark replies. “My friends and I wanted to support him.”

“I hope you enjoy the performance. Jeno only learned how to play the song today at lunch,” Donghyuck laughs and looks at his pink decorated cake pop. “That’s a talent.”

“You’re a talent,” Mark wants to reply.

“Jaemin picked the right man then,” Mark jokes.

“He’s lucky,” Donghyuck looks behind Mark where the MCs were testing the mic. “I have to go now, sorry. It’s starting soon.”

“It’s fine,” Mark tells him. Donghyuck smiles at him before waving his hand with the cake pop and walking away.

“Break a leg,” Mark calls out. He thinks that’s what theatre people say before a performance.

Donghyuck turns around and gasps, a cake pop held by his mouth, “You’re telling me to break my leg?”

Mark midly panics, “Omygod, no. Isn’t that what actors say? I’m sorry I don’t know anything about this.”

“I’m joking, Mark,” Donghyuck laughs at Mark’s reaction and grins. “Thank you.”

Mark takes out a cake pop from his own paper bag and holds it up to Donghyuck.

The boy looks at him confused. “Take it as good luck,” Mark says.

Donghyuck takes it from Mark’s hand making their fingers touch for a split moment, and Mark tries to not drop the cake pop from the tingles he felt from his fingers.

Donghyuck smiles at him one more time before leaving and Mark feels his face heating up as he walks back to his seat.

Chenle, Jisung, and Renjun were chatting amongst themselves. No bags were stolen, thankfully.

They were just cautious about it because Jaemin complained to Mark a year ago at badminton practice about how he doesn’t have his 3rd volume of Haikyuu anymore because “some dumbass decided to take my bag and my manga was in there.”.. He thinks Jaemin’s still searching for the thief.

Renjun turns around and sees Mark. The boy makes a hollering noise, his hands placed on both sides of his mouth to make a cup shape, “Nice one Mark.”

So they were watching him..

Mark flips him off.

“I’m so proud of you,” Jisung looks up from the game he was playing on his phone.

Chenle who was sitting beside Mark’s standing figure grabs the older one’s hand to high five his own. The boy then takes the paper bag that Mark was holding and takes a cookie for himself, and passes the bag to Jisung.

Mark sits down beside Chenle. He can’t even complain about the disrespect. His brain was too busy short circuting from his conversation with Danny.

A few minutes later the MCs go up the stage to introduce the events and the first performer.

The first performance was an original rap made by an 11th grade student, Mark only knew that because the boy sometimes hang around Donghyuck, and he saw him before with the vocal choir.

By the 2nd performance, Mark notices that Jaemin was just a few rows in front of them. Mark wasn’t looking for the boy. It was more like the boy was the one looking for attention. It’s a fact that Jaemin was really shameless-- and loud. Those traits usually don’t mix that well together.

It went like this. An eleventh grader was performing a hip hop dance with his friend when Mark heard a yell from a few rows in front of their seats. Of course it took his attention, so he looked at that direction.

“TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF!” the person screamed making people around them laugh.

It was- not surprisingly- Jaemin, and Jeno was beside him laughing. Mark doesn’t know how Jeno can handle him.

The thing is.. everyone probably feels second hand embarrassment from Jaemin’s actions, except for Jeno.

Jaemin being embarrassing is probably quite literally listed in Jeno’s list of “Things Jaemin Do That Make Me Love Him More.”

Chenle beside Mark laughs from Jaemin’s comment and whispers something to Jisung.

“Jesus christ,” Renjun mutters. “Our angel got himself a wild one.”

Mark looks at where Jaemin and Jeno were sitting to look for Donghyuck. But the singer wasn’t there. Mark ignores the worry rising up his chest.

He doesn’t know Donghyuck that well anyway.

More performances pass, one after the other, and one person even performs a screamo version of All Star by Smash Mouth.

Mark doesn’t know if it was for the Meme Culture (he’s still learning about it) or if it was a genuine performance by an Emo Screamo at Heart, but judging by the reactions from the crowd- mostly laughter- he has to assume that it was for the meme culture.

Johnny would’ve loved this.

The Emo Screamo doesn’t cry from the audience’s response though, he instead bows and laughs with them. Someone with at the right side of the stage yells, “I love you.”

Another person yells, “I’m your number one fan.” She was seriously holding a poster with “I’M YOUR #1 FAN” written on it with big, gold and all caps glittered letters.

It was definitely for the Meme culture.

The last performance was obviously saved for the best.

“Unfortunately, we’re already at the end,” the 12th grade MC announces.

“It’s our one and only Danny Lee with Mr. Ambassador Jeno Lee!” the other MC introduces the two who got out of their seats among the audiences to walk up the stage.

Jaemin screams, “That’s my bestfriend and my boyfriend!!”

Jeno looks at Jaemin in the crowd and laughs while adjusting his guitar on his lap. He fixes the mic in front of him just to make it the same level as his mouth.

Donghyuck takes the mic that was handed to him by the female MC and does a mic check.

“Swish, swirl. Hello, I’m Danny Lee,” he introduces himself. “And that’s Jeno,” he smiles and points at Jeno seated on his left side.

“We’re performing Harveston Lake by Johnny Rain,” Jeno says into the mic.

Donghyuck clears his throat and takes a a deep breath.

Jeno makes eye contact with Donghyuck before counting one to three and starts strumming his guitar.

Once the song starts, the words fall out of Donghyuck’s mouth, and Mark stares at the scene in front of him with shock.

“A love affair too much to bare, I'm well aware. You said you needed me but I was always there. I was always here,” Donghyuck starts off with raw emotion. His light and airy voice completely giving the song a more innocent and painful tone.

The sound prickles at Mark’s heart. “Wow,” he whispers out loud.

“Close your mouth, Mark hyung,” Jisung tells him. Mark ignores his comment, too enthralled by Donghyuck. He closes his mouth anyway.

When the hook began, that was when Mark could feel the weight in his chest wanting to come out in form of tears.

“Oh how did you save me? When no one else thought I was worth saving? You keep my soul racing. You kissed my lips and oh baby,” Donghyuck sang with Jeno acting as his backup singer, adding on adlibs as they go on.

The singer had his eyes closed and his hands were gripping the microphone tightly. Mark could see the emotion on Donghyuck’s face. It was scrunched, but not because he couldn’t hit the notes or anything. It was probably due to the fact that he was focusing on conveying the message and emotions of the song.

Surprisingly, Donghyuck doesn’t sing the second verse. Jeno sings it instead.

“Meet me at the lake tonight. Will you ever take the dive. I see heaven in your eyes,” Jeno strums the guitar and sings into the microphone. Donghyuck opens his eyes and watches Jeno while tapping his foot to the beat.

When Donghyuck whispers “You’re still my angel.” into the microphone, Mark starts tearing up.

“You heard my heart, you heard my heart. You heard my soul. We fall apart, apart so hard, but don't let go. We don't let go,” both Jeno and Donghyuck sing the last lines of the song.

Their voices go well together. Jeno’s deeper voice supports Donghyuck’s higher one well. It contrasted each other in a good way.

Mark doesn’t realize the tear that fell down his cheek until Chenle puts his face very close in front of his and asks, “Are you crying?”

He slightly jumps in shock from the lack of personal space, and realizes that everyone else was clapping.

Mark starts clapping as well before looking at Chenle who looks back at him. The younger one returns his attention back on Jeno and Donghyuck on the stage.

“Fun fact: Jeno only learned how to play the song today on the guitar,” Donghyuck stands up and tells everyone.

“That’s my boyfriend!” Jaemin yells from the crowd earning a smile from Jeno and a laugh from Donghyuck.

“Give him another round of applause!” He says clapping his hands together while still holding the microphone.

“Also give Danny a round of applause,” Jeno looks at Danny and smiles.

Donghyuck gives him a smile before thanking everyone for coming to Coffee House. The two of them go back to their seats where Jaemin gives both of them a hug.

“Are you okay?” Renjun asks him

Mark averts his attention from the three. He nods, “Why not?”

“You were just crying a while ago,” Chenle points out.

“Something got in my eye,” he lies and Renjun just laughs at him.

He’s not that great of a liar, really.

“OKAY BUT. DID YOU SEE,” Renjun suddenly yells. “JENO SANG.”

“Yes Renjun. We’re all here,” Mark replies as Chenle stands up from his seat to go to Jeno who was talking to Jaemin.

Renjun and Jisung follow him. “Wh- Wait up,” Mark stands up from his seat.

Donghyuck sees them and Chenle runs up to the boy to give him a hug.

“You killed it, Hyuck,” he says from Donghyuck’s side, his arm was wrapped around the older one’s arm. “Mark was crying.”

Jaemin’s conversation with Jeno stops as Jaemin laughs at the information. Mark coughs as Jeno smiles at him knowingly.

“Were you really crying?” Donghyuck asks him with a teasing tone in his voice.

Everyone’s attention turns towards him and Mark kind of blushes, “Maybe?”

“Hyuck, you got yourself a fan,” Jaemin tries to get Donghyuck’s attention, but the singer had his eyes on the senior, who was- of course- feeling awkward and shaking in his boots. Mark breaks the eye contact.

Renjun rolls his eyes at Mark and Donghyuck. “That was a really great performance though. Danny, I was shook.”

“Yeah, it was amazing,” Jisung says from beside Jeno. “And Jeno hyung I didn’t expect you to sing! You never told us you were going to sing.”

Jeno laughs, “Sorry, I didn’t get to.”

“You could’ve texted us, snake,” Mark tells him. “But really I’m proud of you.”

“What about me?” Donghyuck asks Mark.

Mark turns his head and makes eye contact with the boy, “You too. That was really..” He pauses in the middle of the sentence to search for a word that could describe the performance. He settles with “Amazing.” That wasn’t enough though.

Donghyuck smiles at him (and his nose scrunches up), “Thank you.”

Mark smiles back, but he internally groans.

  
-

  
Renjun’s parents gave them a ride home that night. As soon as Mark got home, he greeted his parents and prepared for bed.

He was laying down on his bed, in a starfish position, reminiscing about the events that occurred a few hours ago.

“I’m not as cool as I think I am,” he says to himself. “I’m supposed to be a Leo.”

He sighs and his inner thoughts were interrupted by his phone lighting up beside him.

He picks it up and looks at the notification on the screen that says “이동혁 (@dan.ny.lee) accepted your follow request. Now you can see their photos and videos.” “이동혁 (@dan.ny.lee) has requested to follow you.”

Mark looks up the ceiling for a few seconds and picks up his phone from his chest to look at the screen again.

He wasn’t dreaming, it was still there.

“Omygod.”

  
-

  
Chenle slams his textbook on the cafeteria table and sits down beside Jisung. Renjun looks up at him from his phone.

“So, a little birdy told me you have a crush on the theatre production’s prince,” Jeno sitting across from Mark makes eye contact with him, and takes a sip from his tea in a thermos just for the dramatic effect.

Mark looks down at his sandwich and replies, “I don’t have a crush on him.”

Renjun abandons his phone to look at him, “You reactivated your instagram for him.”

“No, I only wanted to.. you know.. take the opportunity to be more open around social media,” Mark says while Chenle judges him from the side.

“I saw that you followed him,” Jisung says, playing with the strings of his hoodie.

“Well.. we all know, considering the fact that Mark’s last activity on Instagram after 2 years of not using it was to follow @dan.ny.lee,” Renjun points out and smirks at the senior.

“But nicely, there was progress to that! Donghyuck actually followed him back,” Chenle tells Renjun.

“Please do spill the beans, Chenle,” the older one replies and entwines his fingers together, placing them on the table.

“How do you even know that you creep?” Marks turns his head to the side to look at the 10th grader with a scrunched face.

“If you don’t realize.. the only creepy thing here is you stalking Na Jaemin to stalk Lee Donghyuck’s instagram,” Chenle retorts and laughs at him.

Mark feels defeated so he just bites into his sandwich.

“Oh,” Jeno starts and looks between Chenle and Mark. “So that was why you were stalking Jaem? To look for Donghyuck’s profile?”

“Sadly for him, Danny had his instagram on private,” Jisung says. “So Mark hyung had no choice but to follow him.”

Chenle nods, “I’m proud that he was brave enough to do it without freaking out to one of us.”

“It’s because he wanted the crush to be a secret, but it didn’t work out,” Renjun sighs at the thought of Mark’s (not so hopeless) crush on Danny, and checks his phone, but turns the screen off right after.

“Renjun not using his phone in the caf?That’s a progress.. Taeyong hyung would be proud,” Mark thinks.

“That was basically the only reason,” Renjun adds on. “And since when did you start calling Danny “Donghyuck”?” he asks Jeno.

“Since we actually became close enough for me to be able to call him by his birth name,” Jeno replies while smiling, and takes a bite from his apple. “Something Mark won’t be able to do if he just sits here and dreams about Donghyuck.”

They all laugh at Jeno’s comment- including Jeno because that was probably his best “insult”- except for Mark. Chenle was being too loud, causing the teacher watching over the students in the cafeteria to give the Chinese boy a look.

Mark lets out a groan from their reactions. “Okay you know what, I do like him,” he yells out- although not so loud, it was a whisper yell- in frustration.

“Yes.. we are aware of that, we have been talking about this for 5 minutes,” Renjun says and raises an eyebrow at him.

Jeno leans over to Renjun and covers the side of his mouth, pretending to whisper to the boy, “He’s having a crisis, Injun. Let him be.”

“He was in denial for a few days, I think he finally admitted it to himself,” Jisung says and bites into his blueberry muffin, and hands it over to Chenle.

“Okay whatever,” Mark sighs and scratches his head. “And Lee Jeno, if you say one word to Danny… I swear..” he says to Jeno in Korean.

Jeno replies back in the language, “Alright hyung. Chill.”

“I don’t know what he said, but I’m assuming he just threatened you,” Chenle looks between the two and chuckles.

Renjun translates it for Chenle from Korean to English, and says, “But my Korean is broken. And I’m only half.”

“I can confirm that yes that was it, and you’re still Korean even if you’re half, hyung,” Jisung says and gives Renjun a smile.

“True,” Chenle says in Mandarin with a smile.

“Okay, I really won’t say anything,” Jeno assures Mark, although the older one doesn’t really know if he can trust the boy.

“I will though,” Chenle announces, a smirk on his face.

“I have dirt on you Zhong Chenle. You think I don’t know about your cru-” Mark starts, but Chenle interrupts him with his signature screech.

“Consider me quiet,” Chenle stares at Mark, his hands placed on his lap and suddenly sitting up straight.

Renjun laughs and side eyes Jisung. He blinks at Mark, “I can do it, you don’t have dirt on me. I have nothing to lose.”

Marks opens his mouth to say something back, but he ends up just closing it because Renjun was right.

“That’s because you, yourself, are dirt,” Jeno mutters.

Renjun laughs, “That’s also true.”

  
-

  
When Mark told Jeno to not tell Donghyuck about his secret crush on the boy, Mark guesses Jeno didn’t realize that Mark also meant that he shouldn’t tell Jaemin - his boyfriend- because telling Jaemin basically means telling Donghyuck.

Mark can’t really hold it against Jeno though because the boy did promise that he won’t tell Danny.. and he sticked to it. But the problem was, Jeno told Jaemin instead.

They were in the middle of doing rallies at badminton practice during lunch when Jaemin hits the birdie back to Mark and says, “I heard that you like Hyuck.”

The comment caught him off guard, resulting in a 78 streak being cut.

“Where did you hear that from?” Mark walks towards the falling birdie that was near the other court.

“Is it true though?”

Mark picks it up and looks at Jaemin from his bent down position, “Did Jeno say that?”

Jaemin grins at him, “No.”

“Renjun then?” he asks. Jaemin says no again, a smile still on his face.

“Whoever it is I’m gonna kill him,” Mark mutters to himself and walks back to his side of the net.

“So it is true!” Jaemin exclaims. “I can't believe this.”

“Please don’t tell him, I beg you,” Mark pleads. Everything is going so wrong.

He needs new friends.

“Honey, I won’t say a word..” Jaemin replies. Mark can’t take him seriously.

It seems like the people with gorgeous smiles are the snakes. He curses Jeno and Renjun in his mind.

The two get back on just rallying the birdie and they don’t bring up the topic again.

At the end of practice Jaemin pats him on the back and laughs, “Good luck, Mark.”

To be honest, he really needs that luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm aiming for one update a week. Update day is usually probably going to be Sundays.
> 
> I'm trying to give time to finish this instantly because I know how frustrating it is to wait for an ongoing fic to be updated. 
> 
> But at the same time I don't want it to be rushed and sloppy, so please be patient along with me.
> 
> Thank you for supporting this fic that I worked on just to procrastinate and distract me from my school work,


	3. hello again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY ITS BEEN 2 MONTHS SINCE THE LAST UPDATE BUT HERE'S A NEW ONE
> 
> I have commitment issues
> 
> (I updated this July 31, 2017 at around 7pm EST but i realized a timeline mistake, so I re-uploaded the chapter)

After badminton practice and arriving at his house, Mark flops down on his bed and opens his phone to message the group chat about the conversation he had with Jaemin a couple of hours ago.

 

**[February 7th, 7:03pm]**

**From: Markkurri**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

Which snake told Jaemin that I like Daniel Lee

 

**[February 7th, 7:06pm]**

**From: Devil**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

OHHH TEAAAA!!!

You wouldn't believe me anyway if I said it wasn't me lmao

 

**[February 7th, 7:07pm]**

**From: Jeno Lee**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

Why what happened?

 

**[February 7th, 7:07pm]**

**From: Markkurri**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

Jaemin asked me at practice today if it was true that I liked danny

 

**[February 7th, 7:08pm]**

**From: Chairman Zhong**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

And you're a dumbass and confessed that you do like Danny?

 

**[February 7th, 7:08pm]**

**From: Devil**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

Ouch..

 

**[February 7th, 7:09pm]**

**From: Markkurri**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

Shut it Chenle :/

I freaked out okay

Jeno .. care to explain?

 

**[February 7th, 7:10pm]**

**From: Jeno Lee**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

HOW AM I THE SUSPECT 

I promised that I won't say shit, u know I don't break promises

and Jaem never told me about this..

 

**[February 7th, 7:11pm]**

**From: JISUNG PARK!!!**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

(laughing emoji) 

Explain that time you ate the last popsicle when I even asked for it to be saved for Chenle

 

**[February 7th, 7:11pm]**

**From: Chairman Zhong**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

(angry emoji) True

 

**[February 7th, 7:12pm]**

**From: Jeno Lee**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

I DIDN'T KNOW THAT HE TALKED TO MARK

AND THE POPSICLE THING HAPPENED ONCE

and you guys literally ate all my Halloween candy last year

 

**[February 7th, 7:12pm]**

**From: Devil**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

Wow you didn't know about this?

Fix ur relationship!!

 

**[February 7th, 7:13pm]**

**From: Jeno Lee**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

u don't even have a relationship

you figure yours out!

 

**[February 7th, 7:13pm]**

**From: Markkurri**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

I'm tired of y'all

and ok I believe you 

Sadly

Renjun.. it was you then

 

**[February 7th, 7:13pm]**

**From: Devil**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

It could have been

 

 

Mark groans and frustratingly types out his reply.

 

 

**[February 7th, 7:14pm]**

**From: Devil**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

It's funny that I can feel your anger from the moving bubble box..

But it wasn't me. I swear

**[February 7th, 7:14pm]**

**From: JISUNG PARK!!!**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

Yeah Mark hyung, some people have lives and it doesn't include making yours become like hell

 

**[February 7th, 7:14pm]**

**From: Chairman Zhong**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

(Mark Lee voice) Except Lee Donghyuck

 

**[February 7th, 7:15pm]**

**From: Markkurri**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

Jisung I'm going to fight you

Square up

 

**[February 7th, 7:15pm]**

**From: Jeno Lee**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

Please stop

So I messaged Jaemin. Believe me I didn't know anything about this

He said he just assumed from the way you freak out around Donghyuck??

LMAO MARK

 

**[February 7th, 7:16pm]**

**From: Devil**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

This is the most pathetic Mark Lee thing ever

 

**[February 7th, 7:16pm]**

**From: Chairman Zhong**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

This is so funny

im crying

 

**[February 7th, 7:17pm]**

**From: JISUNG PARK!!!**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

There you have it

 

**[February 7th, 7:18pm]**

**From: Markkurri**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

Bye

 

**[February 7th, 7:18pm]**

**From: Devil**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

So, does anyone else have anything to share?

Possibly something as pathetic as Mark Lee??

 

**[February 7th, 7:19pm]**

**From: Jeno Lee**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

****

Here

 

**[February 7th, 7:16pm]**

**From: Devil**

**To: can i get UHHHHH**

 

UHMMMM EXCUSE ME????

Why do you have a picture of me though (smirking emoji)

 

**[Markkurri left** **_can i get UHHHHH_ ** **]**

 

 

**-**

 

 

Mark arrives to his Art class 5 minutes earlier than the bell. He sits down at the table by the back and exhales. Chan wasn't there yet, so he was alone. Even Mr. Valdez wasn't there.

The whole day has been spent trying to avoid eye contact with no other than Daniel Lee. Mark doesn't know what he's hiding from anyways. He just doesn't want to be confronted by his crush. And there's that possibility that Jaemin already told Donghyuck, and Mark doesn't really trusts Jaemin's big mouth. He doesn't know how to deal with having one interaction with Donghyuck without popping a few brain vessels.. He should've hidden his crush on the boy better. 

Someone places their bag on the chair beside Mark causing him to look up. 

He makes eye contact with Danny Lee. 

"Hey," Donghyuck says and sits down on the chair beside his bag. 

Mark tries to calm himself down on the inside. 

_ As an author from a book I read said: "There’s no coincidences in life. What’s meant to happen is just destined to happen." _

Or that's what he wants to believe.

Plus he's being overdramatic, it's just Danny Lee sitting at the same table as him. Nothing's wrong and it doesn't mean anything.

Mark smiles at the boy, "Hello."

"There's like no rulers in here.. can I borrow yours?" 

"Ah sure," Mark reaches for his bag and lends Donghyuck his ruler.

The boy smiles at him, "Thank you"

They sit there in silence until people start occupying the room. Jaemin comes in and sees Donghyuck sitting with Mark, he gives Donghyuck a look and then smiles. Mark doesn't notice, his attention was on his phone where he was choosing a song from his Spotify playlist.

Jaemin doesn't sit with them, he moves to a table across from the two where he knows he can hear Mark and Donghyuck's conversations if he decided to eavesdrop. 

"Spotify premium?" Donghyuck asks, eyeing Mark's phone, and draws a line on his paper. 

Mark doesn't hear him until Donghyuck repeats the question. "Pardon?" he takes off his right earphone to hear the other boy better. 

"Spotify premium?"

Donghyuck can see Jaemin hiding a chuckle from the other table. He tries to not roll his eyes at his bestfriend.

Mark lets out an awkward laugh, "Yeah."

"Lucky.. My free 3 months premium expired like a week ago," he sighs. "It was good while it lasted. Now I'm back to illegally downloading songs.."

Mark smiles at him, but Donghyuck keeps his eyes on his paper.

It was silent for a few seconds and words were itching to come out Mark's throat, and he lets them, "What artists do you listen to?"

Small talk. 

"Michael Jackson, like a lot, and SHINee, have you ever heard of them?" 

"Yeah, they're all legends," he points out. "Michael Jackson included."

Donghyuck laughs and looks at him, "Wow, I didn't think you'd know SHINee."

Mark tilts his head, "I listen to K-pop sometimes. Helps me with my Korean, you know?" 

"I know," Donghyuck says in Korean and smiles at him. 

Mark feels his cheeks heating up and he turns his attention back down on his phone, but he sees Jaemin with a smirk on his face from the table across from theirs.

They lock eyes and Jaemin winks at him. Mark internally groans and scrolls down his phone.

A notification pops up.

 

**@jaemin.a to @mark_lee:**

you're so whipped

 

Mark wanted to glare at Jaemin, but the boy was too was focused on his phone.

 

**@mark_lee to @jaemin.a:**

what did I do in my past life to deserve this

 

Jaemin loudly laughs at the message, catching Donghyuck's attention, but he goes back to drawing. 

Mark pockets his phone and looks at Jaemin with a glare. 

Donghyuck notices Mark's expression directed towards his bestfriend. He looks between them and curiously asks, "What did Jaemin do now?"

Mark realizes how stupid he was acting and shakes his head, "Um it's nothing.."

Donghyuck gives Jaemin a confused look and takes his phone out his pocket. Mark feels embarrassed, he wonders about what the two were talking about.

 

**[February 10th, 12:42pm]**

**From: HYUCC'D**

**To: Superstar**

 

Jaemin

????

wyd

 

**[February 10th, 12:42pm]**

**From: Superstar**

**To: HYUCC'D**

 

they always ask u wyd not hyd

 

**[February 10th, 12:43pm]**

**From: HYUCC'D**

**To: Superstar**

 

No seriously 

 

**[February 10th, 12:43pm]**

**From: Superstar**

**To: HYUCC'D**

 

Ur so

I was just making faces at him 

 

**[February 10th, 12:43pm]**

**From: HYUCC'D**

**To: Superstar**

 

you're annoying (groaning emoji)

 

**[February 10th, 12:43pm]**

**From: Superstar**

**To: HYUCC'D**

 

you love me <3

 

**[February 10th, 12:44pm]**

**From: HYUCC'D**

**To: Superstar**

 

I'm telling Mr. Valdez that you're not doing your work again

 

**[February 10th, 12:42pm]**

**From: Superstar**

**To: HYUCC'D**

 

you're just jealous

(crying emoji)(crying emoji)(crying emoji)

 

Donghyuck ignores the message with an eye roll and puts his phone back in his jacket's pocket.

 

**@mark_lee to @jaemin.a:**

wyd???

 

**@jaemin.a to @mark_lee:**

god i hate that phrase

 

**@mark_lee to @jaemin.a:**

i swear if you said anything to him..

 

**@jaemin.a to @mark_lee:**

don't worry dude. i didn't say anything

 

**@mark_lee to @jaemin.a:**

oh ok..

thank you

 

Jaemin looks at the two in front of him and sighs. Being a 'matchmaker' is pretty hard.

 

 

-

 

 

After choir practice, Donghyuck walks home alone by himself. It was nearly 5pm and it was freezing. In Canadian standards it probably wasn't even that cold, but to him it was. He buries his chin onto the maroon scarf wrapped around his neck, blowing out air from his mouth creating a small cloud that meets the flurries falling from the sky. He was turning at a corner of a street when his phone rings, Jaemin's name flashing on the screen. He answers the call and wasn't even greeted with a "Hello" by his bestfriend.

"Meet up with me at Mcdonalds," Jaemin says. 

"We just saw each other a few hours ago," Donghyuck says and clenches his fists in his winter coat's pocket. He stops at the middle of the sidewalk in realization, "What the fuck, did Jeno break up with you?"

"I-" 

"What's his address? I'm going to fight him."

"Shut up. Jesus. I just wanted to go out," the other boy laughs. "And if he did break up with me, you know that you'll see me waiting at your doorstep if your mom wasn't home, or I'll be waiting in the living room." 

Donghyuck sighs in relief and starts walking to the direction of the store, "I hate you."

Jaemin laughs at the comment. "It's because you never ask me to go out anymore, it became hoes before bros," Donghyuck jokes.

The other groans, "You've been busy lately. Just meet up with me, loser."

"I'm on my way, sweetie."

 

 

-

 

 

Donghyuck sees Jaemin sitting at a table in a secluded corner of the fast food chain. His coat was placed beside him, but he still had his white beanie on. The table was far from other customers because it was all the way to the back. They had their own privacy, but not really at the same time.

There was a tray containing a 20 pieces chicken nuggets meal, a big mac, and an iced capp placed in front of Jaemin.

The attention wasn't on it though, he was too occupied by his phone and he doesn't even look up when Donghyuck sits on the seat across from him. The older boy coughs to get his attention causing him to look up and then smile at him.

"Alright," Jaemin puts his phone down in front of him and picks up the iced capp to take a sip from it. "The tea here is that-"

"That's not tea," Donghyuck replies to ruin the whole dramatic act his bestfriend was going for. 

"Anyways," Jaemin rolls his eyes. "Mark Lee? You sat beside him today, huh.."

Donghyuck crosses his arms in front of him and squints at Jaemin, "Did you seriously ask me to come to Mcdonalds to talk about this?"

"Yes."

"You know you could've just Facetimed me," he complains and reaches over to take a piece of nugget from the container.

"In my defense, I was bored and Jeno has a family dinner thing going on, and I was craving chicken nuggets." 

"It's nice to know that I'm a second choice," Donghyuck sighs and pouts. 

"You know you're not. Anyways," Jaemin starts, his smile looking like it's been permanently glued to his face. "Mark Lee."

"Ok what about him?" 

Jaemin fake gasps, "You've had a crush on him since like 9th grade."

"It was never a big crush."

"You," Jaemin picks up a fry and puts it in his mouth. "Have had a crush on him since 9th grade."

Donghyuck removes his mittens and puts it on the table beside theirs, "Ok yes, it developed over time. Especially during this year. You've been told by I."

"Yeah! So, tell me the details, duh. What's this 'I'm going to sit at the same table as his during art class' thing? You didn't tell me," Jaemin complains as he continues to eat the chicken nuggets.

"You know every gossip, you've probably heard it by now," Donghyuck gives him a look which the younger smiles brighter at.

Jaemin leans back on the velvet seat and wipes his fingers with a napkin, "Okay, you're right. Chan did spill the deets. But still it would've been nicer to hear it from you."

Donghyuck laughs and reaches for the Big Mac, "What did Chan say?" He unwraps the cover and takes a bite from the burger. 

"He said that he felt something going on between you and Mark after music night, so he was like 'Oh!! I better tell Danny that I'm not going to be there for Art today, so he can sit with Mark' and he did tell you that, but you didn't say anything. Apparently you just smacked his arm," Jaemin chuckles, ketchup on the side of his mouth and all. "And you took the chance today." 

He hums, "That's pretty much it."

"You could've told me sooner. I entered the class today confused, but of course I caught up with the whole thing."

"Congratulations," Donghyuck mutters, mouth full of burger.

The younger leans over and props his chin on top of his right hand, staring right at Donghyuck with mirth in his eyes, "Lee Chan did leave a part out though."

Donghyuck being the curious guy he is, puts down his Big Mac and allows Jaemin to entertain him, "Which is?"

"I don't think he said that Mark Lee likes you back."

Donghyuck starts coughing from the unchewed burger.

 

 

-

 

 

The tv was playing a Friends marathon and none of them were paying attention.  Jaemin was laying on the couch, his head using Jeno's thighs as a pillow.  It was a cloudy Saturday afternoon and it was too cold to go out, so the couple decided to just spend their time inside Jaemin's house instead of spending it outside. 

Jaemin was playing with the hem of his shirt and Jeno averts his attention from his phone to look at his boyfriend's hands every few seconds.

"Spill," Jeno mutters after 5 minutes of Jaemin just laying there, closing and opening his eyes every few seconds. 

The brown haired boy's hands stop fumbling with his shirt, "Spill what?"

"I can feel your anxiousness from here."

He sighs, "You got me there." 

Jeno puts his phone down on the table beside the couch and listens to whatever Jaemin had to say.

"Don't get mad though."  Jeno reaches for Jaemin's hand, "I won't. As long as it's not super bad?"

Jaemin makes eye contact with him and groans, "That doesn't help." 

Jeno lets out a laugh and uses his hand that wasn't holding Jaemin's to play with his hair, "It's probably not something bad. I'll understand, so just spill."

"Okay.. soooooo," Jaemin drags on and  Jeno pulls on his hair. "Excuse me. Ouch. That was so unnecessary."

Jeno gives him a look. 

"Uhm, ok, I kind of told Hyuck that Mark was a crush on him?"

Jeno's hand pauses and lays on top of Jaemin's head. The brown haired boy jumps up from his comfortable position to sit on his knees and face his boyfriend. 

"I told you it was bad!!!! I'm so sorry, I couldn't shut up. Hyuck had to know that. "

Jeno moves to wrap his arms around Jaemin, making the boy fall over Jeno in an awkward position, "Just know that Mark's going to kill you."

"Tell me something I haven't thought about. I felt like I was cupid for a while, now it's biting me on the ass. It wasn't any of my business anyways," Jeno lets go of him, and the boy sits legs crossed facing Jeno on the couch.

Jeno stares at Jaemin as he rambles on. It's cute. "I mean on the good side, they'll have each other for Valentine's day- if one of them does something. I mean.. are you going to tell Mark? I'd rather you not say it was me who snaked on him," Jaemin continues.

"Babe, I'm sure Mark thinks you snaked on him already," Jaemin frowns. "But he hasn't killed you yet."

"Ugh, no airbag here, we die like men. And I never snaked on him when I found out!"

"But you snaked on him yesterday.. 3 days after you found out. I'm surprised you kept it in,"  Jaemin glares at him and Jeno laughs.

"It will be fine. I'll tell Renjun about this tonight and we can figure something out." 

Jaemin falls forward, his head resting on Jeno's shoulder, "I'm going to die from Mark Lee's wrath."

"No one's dying here," Jeno puts his arm around Jaemin's shoulders. "I'll protect you from my emotionally constipated bestfriend." 

Jaemin gives him a kiss on the cheek.

 

 

-

 

 

That night before Jeno went to sleep, he calls  Renjun to inform him about Donghyuck finding out about Mark's crush on him due to Jaemin's tendency to gossip.  _Omg, pretends to be shocked_ was Renjun's immediate response. 

"Want to come up with a plan?" he asks. 

"I'm up for anything that gives Mark the happiness he deserves," Renjun replies.

And there they came up with a plan.

 


	4. shoot me.. with an arrow?

Bad life choices and Lee Jeno usually don't go together in the same sentence, but at this moment, it does.

Lee Jeno and lactose intolerance work well together in the same sentence though.

Blame Renjun for giving him a Starbucks drink and forgetting to ask the employees for lactose-free milk. But Jeno's also blaming himself for forgetting he's lactose intolerant. He didn't really know that Renjun forgot, he just accepted the drink because it was 15 minutes before class and it was a Monday morning. (+ His and Renjun’s plan would begin later that day, it wasn’t anything big or serious, but it would help Mark- if he goes along with it.) And who refuses to accept a free drink from their bestfriend especially under those circumstances? He didn't even bother asking Renjun if it was lactose free. Jeno trusted him, but that was obviously the wrong choice.

How can his bestfriend forget that he doesn't have enough lactase enzymes?

He thinks of this as he takes a dump at the boy's washroom in the 2nd floor of the French hall of the building.

He was bored and he left his phone in class, and it doesn’t seem like he’ll be done anytime soon.

Looking for a source of entertainment, he decides to read the words written on the back of the door stall. There was a bunch of doodles here and there, not inappropriate ones though. Thankfully.

 

**Congrats to the cheer team!**

**Thank you :D**

 

That's cute.

 

 **Ugh english class sucks ass especially** **if u hav Ms. ********

 

Jeno chuckles at that one and nods in agreement.

 

**Life is gold.**

 

**Please stop writing or drawing here. Have mercy on StudCo.**

 

"That defeats the whole statement,"  Jeno mutters.

 

**Chenle Zhong is so cute**

 

**Have a great day y'all**

 

Jeno reads the other phrase again and leans over to see it better, "What?"

He rubs his eyes and opens them again.

 

**Chenle Zhong is so cute**

 

It’s still there.. and okay.. he has an idea of who wrote it.

 

Perhaps, someone with a last name that rhymes with _narc?_

 

 

-

 

 

Lunch break begins and Jeno waits for the others to arrive at the table before saying anything about what he discovered on a stall of the boy's washroom.

Renjun arrives after Mark, the boy was saying something under his breath in the mix of Korean and Mandarin.

All Jeno could catch was "I'm going crazy."

"What's up with you?" Mark asks Renjun who sat down across from them. "Vday problems?"

“He doesn’t even like anyone,” Jeno says.

Renjun put his head down on his arms on the table, "No. My grades suck, I don't know if I can get them up before the sem ends. My mom's going to kill me."

"Ask one of the TAs if they can help tutor you," Jeno advices, poking his salad.

Renjun just groans, "That's too much effort."

Mark was in the middle of helping the boy with his problems when Jisung arrives with Chenle in tow. Jeno laughs to himself.

_It's Valentine's day tomorrow too._

Chenle sits beside Renjun and Jisung sits beside Mark across from Chenle.

"By the way, Renjun. You gave me a milk based drink today," Jeno tells the redhead who was still having a crisis.

"So?"

Mark starts laughing and he covers his mouth with his hand, "He's lactose intolerant!"

Renjun instantly raises his head to look at Jeno, "Shit."

Jeno hears Jisung mutters _Dumbass_ from beside Mark, which makes Renjun turn his gaze to Jisung and glare.

"Yes. Shit. Quite literally," says Jeno.

"I forgot?? Sorry."

Chenle takes out a container of cookies from his lunch box and pokes Renjun with the corner of it, "Renjun's having a crisis. More like crises. Plural. Let him have this one.”

Renjun looks at the box beside his elbow, takes a cookie, and properly sits up from his position.

"I don't really care about it that much, I was joking. I eat dairy sometimes, you guys know this," Jeno informs them. "Do you want to know what I saw though?"

Groans flood their table. "From your shit? No thanks," Renjun retorts, still holding the cookie, and he puts down his head on his arm once again.

"Fuck you, not that! I saw something written on the bathroom stall."

Mark pays attention to Jeno unlike Chenle and Jisung who started going on their phones, "What was it?"

"It was 'Chenle Zhong is so cute' written with black sharpie.."

Chenle looks up from his phone in shock, "What?"

Jisung pauses his game to join the conversation he just abandoned seconds ago and starts laughing, "Seriously?"

"Good for you, Chenle," Renjun quietly says after Jisung stops laughing.

"Who would write that though?" Chenle asks, his cheeks red and eyes wide. He was obviously flattered.

Jeno gives Jisung a pointed look. The younger one and him make eye contact, but all Jisung does is raise his eyebrows at the older boy, "I don't know, ask Jisung."

The youngest turns his head to look at Chenle and then looks back at Jeno, "What? Why me?"

"I wonder why," Jeno plays along. Mark elbows Jeno's side, "Shut up."

"It wasn't me," Jisung defends himself. "I know you think I'm gay for Chenl-"

"DISGUSTING," Chenle screeches over Jisung's voice.

Mark awkwardly laughs, eyes flickering between them, "Um.. but aren't you?" He looks at Jeno for support and Renjun raises his head up again to look at the 9th and 10th graders.

"Uhh.." Jeno knows Mark's dumb sometimes, but if the older boy thought Jisung has a thing for Chenle then that means they weren't completely discreet about it.

"No? I said before that I'm straight,” Jisung says, opening a snack while not making eye contact with the older boys. “And that's like incest."

Mark and Jeno look confused, and Renjun’s just staring at Jisung.

“Seriously, hyungs,” the youngest mutters. He makes eye contact with Chenle and then they both burst in laughter.

"People always assume.. but seriously, it's not like that," Chenle assures them. “He’s just like a brother from another mom, you know? We’re like, I don’t know, soulmates.”

"Oh," Renjun comments as he stares at Chenle. "That's a relief."

The whole table pauses at what the redhead said. Chenle blinks at the older boy.

Mark flickers his gaze between the two, frowns, and his eyes widen, "Oh.”

Jisung watches Renjun looking at Chenle, and Chenle catches Jisung’s eyes with a look of confusion.

"OH," Jeno realizes, leaning back from surprise with a smile on his face, “I get it now.”

Jisung looks around the others, looks at the two Chinese boys, and realizes, "Oh.. omygod."

 

What’s up with this group of friends and crushing on each other? Jisung thinks.

 

And why does no one ever tell anyone?

 

 

-

 

 

Well, that was somehow Jeno's plan for that afternoon- to get Jisung and Chenle together, but it just turned out to be a whole plot twist.

 

_“Uh..” Chenle scratched his head. “You wrote that?”_

_Renjun looked down at the cookie in his hand, “Yeah. Does that bother you?”_

_At that point Jeno and Mark started packing their bags to leave the table. Mark elbowed Jisung, who was just watching the whole thing unfold in front of his eyes._

_“What?” Jisung asks the senior._

_“We’re going now,” Jeno tells him._

_“Okay. Bye?”_

_Mark internally face palms, “You’re coming with us.”_

_And so they left the couple to it._

 

At least Renjun won't be spending his Valentine's day alone and their Markhyuck plan was still on, which was why he was at Loblaws with Mark while Renjun's shift was on.

Renjun was running the cashier and he waves at the two when he sees them enter.

"Remind me why we're here again?" Mark asks Jeno after they greeted Renjun.

"I told you I'm buying stuff for Jaemin. It's Vday tomorrow, can't you see all these stuff?" Jeno motions around the shop. There was literally a huge section for fresh flowers right by the entrance and a huge area for fluffy stuffed toys beside it, and an area for chocolates and Vday themed candies right in front of them.

"Ok I know that date, but why do you need me for that?" the senior scratches his head, his other hand holding on the strap of his backpack.

Jeno walks over to the chocolates and grabs a box shaped like a heart. He hands it to Mark and the older hesitantly holds onto it, "You have to get something for Donghyuck."

"Danny? What.." he mumbles and looks at the heart shaped box. "No!"

Mark puts it back from the box that Jeno took it from, "I'm out of here. Bye."

The boy starts walking out of the door when Renjun stops him by blocking the way and asks, "What's wrong dear customer? Do you need help with anything?"

Mark glares at Renjun and his green apron before saying, "I don't need help. I appreciate it and all, but.. no."

"Hyung, it won't hurt to get him something," Jeno says.

"He doesn't like me that way," Mark bitterly smiles at the two. "I'll go first, okay? I have to catch up on homework. Just get something for Jaemin, and you too Renjun, get Chenle something. Don't disappoint him."

Renjun gapes at the senior's retreating figure, "Of course I'm getting him something!" Mark looks back to wave at them.

"We've watched so many K-dramas yet he still doesn't know that Valentine's day is one of many great opportunities to confess," Jeno utters, looking at a stuffed toy he grabbed from beside him.

Renjun leans on a box, "Plan is dead. Mission failed."

The black haired boy lets out a sigh and does a double take on Renjun's form, and places the toy back into its spot, "Aren't you working at the cashier? Why are you here?"

"I started my break for him yet he did me dirty like this," replies Renjun, wiping off the dust on the front of his apron.

"Well, k, I'm leaving," Jeno announces.

"You haven't even got anything!"

"Who do you think I am? I've been prepared since last week."

Renjun raises his hands in defense and starts walking backwards, "Alright, lover boy."

 

 

-

 

 

Mark wasn’t trying to ignore Lee Donghyuck- who sits at the line of chairs beside Mark’s and two rows in front him in French class- per say. Donghyuck has made 5 jokes now, including 2 French puns, and Mark tries not to look at him or laugh. He wasn’t just feeling the best today and looking at Donghyuck on Valentine’s Day hurts his chest. Mark knows he’s being overdramatic, but he is a hopeless romantic as Renjun puts it.

He just feels like he needs to do _something_ better than this. Something that wasn’t just daydreaming about giving Donghyuck a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day. And that’s exactly what Mark doesn’t have because he refused to get Donghyuck anything at freaking Loblaws yesterday with Jeno.

He lets out a sigh and rests his chin on his palm.

“Did your date ditch you?” Yuta who was surprisingly present in the class asks him in French. This makes some students turn their attention to who the T.A. was talking to.

“Never had one to begin with,” Mark replies. In English. He refuses to touch the _‘_ language of love’ on this so called sacred day.

“Poor you,” says Ms. Lepage from her seat.

“If anyone has spare flowers or chocolates, donate them to Mark here,” Yuta announces, standing beside Mark’s chair and pointing at him.

Mark pretends to laugh.

 

 

-

 

 

“Hello, everyone. How has your days been today?” Jeno asks as soon as he gets to their lunch table.

Johnny looks at him dramatically, “We get it. You’re 16 and you have a boyfriend and a date tonight. No need to rub it on our faces because, yes, we are a few years older and we’re-” and Taeyong chimes in, “-single.”

Jeno just sits down, ignores Johnny, and repeats his question.

Yuta decently answers, “I have received nothing from the person I’d like to receive a gift from, but I did get a few chocolates from some students.”

“As expected from Na Yuta,” Jisung comments and Chenle fake claps.

“No one asked me,” Jeno starts as soon as he sits down and opens his thermos. “But Jaemin and I are going to skate at the canal today. Eat beavertails, have hot chocolate. Bubble tea after and we’ll go to his favourite restaurant. Sounds romantic, right?”

“If you like hypothermia, sure,” Renjun comments and takes a bite from his sandwich.

“Shut up,” Jeno looks at Renjun with a smirk and asks, “Can you even top our plans?”

Chenle blushes at the black haired boy’s question and makes eye contact with Renjun.

The redhead coughs and wipes his mouth with the sleeve of his sweater, “We’re just going to hang out after school and go to the park.”

“If you like hypothermia, sure,” Jeno mocks Renjun.

“It’s amazing how gay everyone is at this table,” Yuta mutters, eyeing everyone.

Taeyong gives the two Chinese boys a smile, “I’m happy for you two. I always assumed Renjun liked Chenle, you know.”

The high school boys have an iMessage group chat with the three T.As, so Jeno and Mark told the whole story about Renjun and Chenle getting together. They left out the whole lactose intolerance part though.

“We didn’t even think that it was Renjun,” Jisung says. “They assumed it was me who wrote it.”

“Taeyong hyung has a mother’s intuition,” Mark says.

“True,” agrees Jeno.

“I get why they thought it was Jisung though,” Johnny says.

“But Charles Jisung Park.. You’re straight? In this economy? It’s 2017.” Yuta stares at the child in front of him with a frown on his face.

“Leave him alone,” Taeyong smacks Yuta’s arm.

“Anyways,” Jisung starts and turns his attention from Yuta to Mark. “What about you Mark hyung?”

“Yeah, what about you Mark?” Renjun repeats.

Mark catches Taeyong giving him a disappointed look. Mark scrunches his face, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“We thought you were better than this,” Johnny answers for Taeyong.

“Ok, all I did was leave Loblaws.”

Of course they had to bring that subject up in person. Renjun and Jeno told everyone in the group chat about what happened yesterday- Mark hates them.

“To not buy your crush anything,” Yuta adds on. Everyone nods at the comment.

Mark scoffs and aggressively chews on his food, “He’s so out of my league, like.. For real.”

“He really is,” Renjun says with a fake sad expression.

“But nothing is impossible,” Taeyong tries to comfort Mark.

“And he does talk to you,” Yuta says.

“Yeah, to like, borrow a ruler. Or pass a paper to him.”

“We all start somewhere,” Jisung says.

“Whatever." Mark sighs and proposes an idea, "You’re not going anywhere after school are you? Let’s go get donuts or something. You hyungs can come to, if you’re as lonely as me.”

Jisung scratches his head, “Actually hyung, I can’t go,”

Taeyong gasps and drops his orange by accident, “Do you have a date too?!”

“No, I just have swimming practice,” the youngest laughs.

“I can’t go either. There’s a party tonight that I’m going to,” Johnny informs Mark.

“Me too,” Yuta says.

“Poor you,” Jeno pats Mark’s arm.

That was the 2nd _poor you_ he had received that day. And ok, he can actually handle being lonely. It’s not like he hasn’t spent multiple Valentine’s days alone, but..

He can hear Renjun in his mind yelling, "You're so overdramatic!"

Mark just lets the thought go.

 

 

-

 

 

Mark enters Art class earlier than the bell as usual. He prepares himself for the class, taking out his pencil case and ruler when Chan enters the class with Jaemin. They were talking about something Mark couldn't hear. Jaemin leads Chan to a table across from Mark, where the both of them sat down facing him. Mark mouths "What?" to Chan when the boy finally makes eye contact with him, but Chan just gives him a smile and a small wave of a hand. 

And then, Enters Danny Lee. As soon as the bell rings.

The junior sees Mark alone at the table and smiles at him. Mark smiles back, of course, crying on the inside because God was really playing with him right now.

Since yesterday morning, Donghyuck seemed friendlier than usual and kept making eye contact with him in French class. Mark thinks Jaemin probably told Donghyuck about his crush on him which caused Donghyuck to feel pity for him, so he's been extra nice to Mark. But it just makes Mark feel pathetic.

Donghyuck sits beside him again since the last time, 4 days ago. The boy sets his bag down on the seat on his right, Mark sits beside his left. 

"Oh yeah," Donghyuck mutters to himself and turns his back to Mark to get something from his bag. 

He twirls his chair to face Mark and sets down a small box of chocolates and a dried rose on the table.

Mark looks at the chocolate and the rose, and looks back to Donghyuck, "What's this for?"

"I'm giving them to you," Donghyuck smiles at him.  

Mark blinks, "But why?"

"It's Valentine's Day," he points out. "Duh."

Mark turns his attention to the table across from them where he catches Jaemin silently laughing at the scene in front of him, but once the boy realizes Mark was looking at him he closes his mouth and pretends to be doing his work. Chan just gives Mark a wink. 

"Jaemin's pranking me, isn't he?" 

Donghyuck picks up the box and dried rose, and puts it in Mark's hand while chuckling, "No. Just take it." 

"So, is it because Yuta said donate chocolate or flowers to me?" 

The younger boy's smile widens, "Is it so hard to believe that someone just genuinely wants to give you a gift?"

"Uhm, thank you," Mark mutters and picks up the dried flower to observe it. "It's nice and pretty."

Donghyuck hums, "Yeah, I've been drying it for a long time. It's obviously not fresh, but it's preserved, so it won't die."

Mark stares at the flower and looks at Donghyuck again. The boy gives him a smile before getting up from his seat to ask Mr. Valdez about his next art work. Mark takes the chance to walk over to Jaemin and Chan, still in shock.

"What was that?" he asks them. 

"I just witnessed Danny Lee-" Chan starts. 

"Your crush," Jaemin adds and Chan chuckles.

"-give you a dried rose and a box of Lindt?" 

"I'm so confused," Mark breathes out. "You're not pranking me, right?"

Jaemin laughs, "Dude, I'm not that much of a bitch."

"You are, but I'm still confused," Mark says and Jaemin mutters, "You're quite right."

"Ask him why," he suggests. 

"Or ask him out," Chan grins.

"He's not even gay.." Mark protests, but it sounds more like a question.

Jaemin laughs, the sound catching other students' attention in the class- even Donghyuck turned his head to look at their table, "Omygod. Mark. I'm his bestfriend and I'm telling you, Donghyuck is gay. With a trademark sign and a capital 'G'."

"Is he okay with you telling me this? It's not.. really.. my business?" 

Chan laughs at Mark's reaction, "He's literally openly gay, it's okay. Where have you been?" 

If what they were saying was right, then that means he probably has a chance- but he knows that he shouldn't get his hopes up. Just because they were both gay doesn't mean Donghyuck's not out of his league anymore. It does take one problem out of his long list of problems though.

"But I saw some girls giving him chocolates a while ago after French?" 

Jaemin sighs, "Listen. Girls still go for gay men even when they know they're gay. Anyways, the real question here is are you, you know, gay, Mark?" 

"With the way he looks at Danny, he better be," the two stifle their laughs. They were just trying to get the rise out of Mark, they knew that Mark was interested in Danny, but he was still in the stage of denying it but also making it obvious. 

"You guys are seriously.." Mark huffs and walks back to his table. 

Donghyuck comes a little later after him with a canvas, a palette, and a few paint brushes. He gives Mark a look that seemed like he wanted to ask something, but he doesn't. Possibly something about his conversation with Jaemin, but Mark knows Jaemin will tell him later on anyways. Either with the truth, which will lead to Mark's embarrassment, or an excuse- if Jaemin was being nice. 

He starts working on his project and he gives a few looks over to Donghyuck who was completely focused on his work every few minutes. As the junior paints his background, he tilts his head and looks at Mark.

Mark looks away and pretends to draw, it was Donghyuck's turn to stare.

"What?"

"Uhm.." Mark starts, drawing a line on his paper. He doesn't know where he's going with this, "Do you- uh. No. Never mind.."

"Spit it out Mark."

Mark breathes in, "Do you want to go to Timmy's later?" He does indeed, spit out. 

Donghyuck grins at him, the paint from his brush dripping on his canvas, "Thought you'd never ask."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timmy's is short for Tim Hortons, a famous Canadian fast food restaurant. They mostly sell hot/cold beverages, donuts, pastries, and bread. Kind of like a Starbucks but cheaper.


End file.
